IDEA 97 General Information The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has a long history. Prior to its implementation in 1975, approximately 1 million children with disabilities were shut out of schools and hundreds of thousands more were denied appropriate service. Since then, the legislation changed the lives of these children. Many are learning and achieving at levels previously thought impossible. As a result, they are graduating from high school, going to college and entering the workforce as productive citizens in unprecedented numbers. Ninety percent of children with developmental disabilities were previously housed in state institutions. Today, they are no longer in those settings. As compared to their predecessors, three times the number of young people with disabilities are enrolled in college or universities, and twice as many of today’s twenty-one year olds with disabilities are working.
While this is significant progress, we can and must do better. The status of children with disabilities still falls short of our expectations for them. ¨ Twice as many children with disabilities drop out of high school. ¨ Dropouts do not return to school, have difficulty finding jobs and often end up in the criminal justice system. ¨ Girls who drop out often become young unwed mothers at a much higher rate than their non-disabled peers do. ¨ Many children with disabilities are excluded from the curriculum and assessments used with their non-disabled classmates, limiting their possibilities of performing to higher standards of performance.
The new IDEA legislation is an attempt to remedy these and other problems that contribute to the barriers children with disabilities face. IDEA will make these changes by: ¨ Raising expectations for children with disabilities. ¨ Increasing parental involvement in the education of their children. ¨ Ensuring that regular education teachers are involved in planning and assessing children’s progress. ¨ Including children with disabilities in assessments, performance goals, and reports to the public. ¨ Supporting quality professional development for all personnel who are involved in educating children with disabilities.Transition is a passage from school to adult life. It is a process whereby students with the assistance of families, school and community agencies participate in building skills and developing plans for adult life. For some students with special needs, this process is fairly simple. For others, it requires significant planning, trial phases and then more planning. Thinking about the student’s future now will help determine what skills need to be developed. The student, family, school and community agencies all work together to plan for a successful transition. Benefits include an early start on identifying strengths and interests in the following areas: q Jobs and Job Training q Community Participation q Home Living q Recreation and Leisure q Post Secondary Training and Education The following pages will help you begin thinking about transition. Please add yearly Individual Education Plans and other data to this handbook.
General Information
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has a long history. Prior to its implementation in 1975, approximately 1 million children with disabilities were shut out of schools and hundreds of thousands more were denied appropriate service. Since then, the legislation changed the lives of these children. Many are learning and achieving at levels previously thought impossible. As a result, they are graduating from high school, going to college and entering the workforce as productive citizens in unprecedented numbers.
Ninety percent of children with developmental disabilities were previously housed in state institutions. Today, they are no longer in those settings. As compared to their predecessors, three times the number of young people with disabilities are enrolled in college or universities, and twice as many of today’s twenty-one year olds with disabilities are working.
While this is significant progress, we can and must do better. The status of children with disabilities still falls short of our expectations for them.
¨ Twice as many children with disabilities drop out of high school.
¨ Dropouts do not return to school, have difficulty finding jobs and often end up in the criminal justice system.
¨ Girls who drop out often become young unwed mothers at a much higher rate than their non-disabled peers do.
¨ Many children with disabilities are excluded from the curriculum and assessments used with their non-disabled classmates, limiting their possibilities of performing to higher standards of performance.
The new IDEA legislation is an attempt to remedy these and other problems that contribute to the barriers children with disabilities face.
IDEA will make these changes by:
¨ Raising expectations for children with disabilities.
¨ Increasing parental involvement in the education of their children.
¨ Ensuring that regular education teachers are involved in planning and assessing children’s progress.
¨ Including children with disabilities in assessments, performance goals, and reports to the public.
¨ Supporting quality professional development for all personnel who are involved in educating children with disabilities. Transition is a passage from school to adult life. It is a process whereby students with the assistance of families, school and community agencies participate in building skills and developing plans for adult life.
For some students with special needs, this process is fairly simple. For others, it requires significant planning, trial phases and then more planning. Thinking about the student’s future now will help determine what skills need to be developed.
The student, family, school and community agencies all work together to plan for a successful transition.
Benefits include an early start on identifying strengths and interests in the following areas:
q Jobs and Job Training
q Community Participation
q Home Living
q Recreation and Leisure
q Post Secondary Training and Education
The following pages will help you begin thinking about transition.
Please add yearly Individual Education Plans and other data to this handbook.